Driver to die by hanging, 12 years after killing friend

Nemesis finally caught up with a driver with the Institute of Management and Technology, Ketu, Lagos, Kehinde Olude, 12 years after he wickedly snuffed life out of a friend, as Justice Olubunmi Oyewole of the Lagos High Court, Ikeja yesterday sentenced him to death by hanging.

Olude, in his evil rush to own a car in November 29, 2000, murdered his victim,  R. A. Adisa, a senior lecturer at the Federal College of Education, Okene, Kogi state, who had innocently sought his help to drive his newly acquired car to Okene.

The condemned convict, few minutes into the journey, specifically at  Alafon village along Lagos/Ibadan Expressway not only dispossessed his victim of his new ash coloured Honda car but also strangled him to death.

After killing his friend, the convict, who was a driver with the Institute, until November 14, 2000 where Adisa was undergoing further study, later gave the Honda Car to a friend who sold the car and gave him the proceeds to process a purported journey abroad.

The offence, according to the prosecution, was contrary to section 319(1) of the Criminal Code Cap 32, Vol. 2, Laws of Lagos State 1994.

During the trial, the prosecution called five witnesses who testified  against the defendant, including the father of the convict and whose testimonies, the trial judge noted, were "not subjected to cross-examination by the defence".

Justice Oyewole, after reviewing the submissions of the prosecution led by Luqman Sanusi and the defence counsel, Mrs. Femi Ajanaku, "found the defendant guilty as charged and convicted him accordingly".

He held that, "The only punishment for murder is the death penalty, accordingly, the sentence of the court upon you Kehinde Olude is that you be hanged by the neck until you be dead and may the Lord have mercy on your soul", said Justice Oyewole.

While also reviewing the fact of the case, the court held that sufficient evidence exists before it to come to the inevitable conclusion and beyond any reasonable doubt that the convict murdered the deceased,  Adisa, as alleged by the prosecution.

The judge therefore held that the facts deductible from the evidence of the prosecution witnesses are that the deceased, a graduating student of the Institute had travelled to Lagos from Okene to purchase the imported fairly used car and after the purchase, engaged the defendant "with whom the said Adisa was cordial, to drive the car to Okene".